Chicken & Blended Brassica Stir Fry

Springtime is full of fresh salads, green smoothies and newly sprouted, bitter greens. We wanted to provide you with something that lends the cleansing benefits of a spring meal, but is still warming for those of us in a cooler climate. This chinese food inspired stir fry is sugar, dairy, gluten and preservative free- and very satisfying. It includes several brassica vegetables, which help to gently detox the body and cleanse the liver. This also happens to be one of WildFit founder Eric’s favourite homemade fast and easy meals- so it must be good!

NOODLES:½ head of white cabbage, sliced thinly lengthwise¼ cup of broth or water½ tsp sea saltPreparation: It may look intimidating that there are so many components to this meal, but the hardest part is really just the chopping. The simple yet very satisfying flavour is attributed to the Chinese 5 Spice, which satisfies our 5 main flavours: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and salty and the chicken adds umami, making it an easy dish that can satisfy complex palates. To begin, crack the egg into a mixing bowl and beat well. Add in the tapioca starch, white pepper and sea salt. Beat again until even and set aside to thicken. This will make a light, crunchy breading for the chicken. Thinly slice the chicken and add to the egg mixture, tossing evenly to coat. Cover and place in the fridge until using.

Combine the coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger and Five Spice in a bowl and mix well, then set aside. This will create the savour sauce that you will add to the dish near the end of the cooking process. Trim ends of the Brussels Sprouts (if necessary) and thinly slice from top to bottom. Chop the onion, kale and cabbage thinly, keeping all 3 separate.

Next, heat a large saucepan to medium and add broth, once steaming add the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, stir and cover. Shake the pan or stir the cabbage every couple minutes to cook it through. The salt will cause the juices to be released from the cabbage, steaming and softening the chopped leaves to a tender, noodle like consistency. This is a great way to add cabbage to your diet- a very healing and nourishing vegetable, often forgotten for being too simple. If you absolutely detest cabbage, you can of course make some rice noodles or jasmine rice in their place. To create the main event, heat a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of the coconut oil and then the onion, stirring until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the sliced Brussels Sprouts and kale. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of cold water or broth to the wok and cover. Continue cooking for 4 minutes until the veg are tender in the stems. A WildFit principle is that if you have to cook your vegetables, you want to ‘scare’ your veggies with heat- so they are just cooked, but still retain their nutrients. Pour the veggies into a bowl and cover for the time being.

Add remaining 2 Tbsp of coconut oil to wok. Once quite hot, add the sliced chicken mixture, stirring nearly constantly for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked through. If you don’t continually move the chicken strips in could burn the egg- and no one likes burnt eggs. Also, to make things more hectic, you want to be sure to continually check on the cabbage, removing it from the heat once it has reached it’s tender, ‘noodle-like’ consistency.When the chicken is cooked through, pour the veggies back in and toss to combine with the sauce and warm through, 1 to 2 more minutes. To serve, top with sesame seeds and serve with Sriracha on a bowl of cabbage noodles. Enjoy!